Sport Makers: your chance to be a sporting hero

Five-time Olympic Gold medallist, Sir Steve Redgrave, yesterday unveiled a new way for people to become sporting heroes in their local community.

Sir Steve, our greatest Olympian, has joined forces with Sport England to launch Sport Makers, a programme for everyone who’d like to make sport happen for their friends, neighbours or colleagues.

Sir Steve said: “You don’t need medals to become a sporting hero. By helping people you know to get involved in sport you’ll be doing something amazing for your friends and local community as well as having fun yourself.

“The thing I want to see more than anything is more people out enjoying what sport has to offer, but we need your help to make it happen.

“So why not take your first step to becoming a sporting hero and visit sportmakers.co.uk”

Sport Makers aims to inspire over 40,000 people to get involved, with each of them spending at least 10 hours organising or leading sporting activities. It is open to anyone aged 16 and over.

Backed by the British Olympic Association and £4 million of National Lottery funding, Sport Makers is part of the Places People Play legacy programme that is bringing the magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games into communities across the country.

Every Sport Maker will be invited to an informal and interactive workshop where they’ll gain the skills and opportunities to get involved in sport in their area. Sport Makers will be introduced to organisations that need their help, and join forces with others who want to make sport happen locally. There’ll also be opportunities to meet top athletes and plenty of incentives to stay involved.

By taking part in Sport Makers, and completing your 10 hours, you could secure tickets to the greatest show on earth: Sport Makers and London 2012 are working together to give people the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Sport England’s Chair, Richard Lewis, said: “This is a great chance to get involved in making sport happen, whether that’s planning the route, finding the pitch or encouraging others to take part.

“So if you think you could help, or have your own ideas for getting others involved in sport, please join in as a Sport Maker and become part of the legacy of the London 2012 Games.”

The launch was welcomed by the Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP. He said: “The volunteers that help out at local sports clubs up and down the country are the foundations of community sport. The new Sport Makers initiative is a key part of the London 2012 sports legacy and will help community sports clubs across the country get more people playing sport.”

Over 50% of adults in England say they’d like to play more sport, but many people don’t feel they have the time, money or confidence to get involved in a formal setting.

BOA Chair, Lord Moynihan, said:

“Sport Makers will help contribute to an active and vibrant grassroots sporting environment, through which opportunities for people of all ages to participate in sport will be expanded. It will reinforce the ideals of the Olympic and Paralympic movement, demonstrating how they are relevant to every level of sport.”